About a week before pitchers and catchers head to spring training, the premier starting pitcher on the market has finally made his move. On the same day Tigers and Aces’ Tariq Skubal participated in a landmark arbitration hearing, the Detroit Tigers reached an agreement with Framber Valdez, signing the former All-Star to a three-year, $115 million deal. This contract, which reportedly includes opt-out clauses after two seasons, reunites Valdez with both the Tigers and former Astros manager AJ Hinch.
Although Valdez, 32, didn’t secure as many years as initially anticipated, his average annual salary of $38.3 million sets a new record for a left-handed pitcher. The deal also comes with a qualifying offer, meaning the Tigers must forfeit a draft pick to sign him. This contract is the most significant under Scott Harris’s leadership as president of baseball operations since September 2022. The Tigers are hoping to maximize this signing during what could be Skubal’s last season with Detroit, aiming to build a rotation strong enough to advance beyond the ALDS — a challenge they’ve failed to overcome in the past two seasons.
Last season, the Tigers’ starters ranked among the lowest in innings pitched across MLB, with only three pitchers reaching 100 innings, and Skubal being the sole starter with an ERA under 3.80. Valdez’s addition is expected to bolster the rotation significantly. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2018, Valdez has consistently delivered, maintaining an ERA under 3.70 over six seasons and producing the highest ground ball rate among pitchers with 100 or more starts. Since 2020, he and Zach Wheeler are the only starters with over 150 games started and an ERA below 3.30. Highlights include a 17-6 record with a 2.82 ERA in 2022, followed by an impressive playoff stint contributing to the Astros’ World Series win with a 1.44 ERA.
In early 2025, Valdez started strong with a 10-4 record and a 2.75 ERA before an early exit. Although his second half saw a dip to a 3-7 record with a 5.20 ERA, he finished the season with a respectable 3.66 ERA — his best since becoming a full-time starter. While not an ace in terms of strikeouts, Valdez excels with his sinker, induces ground balls, and his curveball leads to more strikeouts than any other pitcher’s in baseball. Despite Detroit’s less stellar infield defense, Valdez is a clear upgrade for the team.
This signing is a major financial commitment for the Tigers, who had made limited roster improvements since last season’s collapse from a huge division lead. While they re-signed key players like Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan and added pitchers Kenley Jansen and Drew Anderson on short-term deals, offensive struggles remain unaddressed, with top prospects McGonigle and Clark expected to contribute only by 2026. Valdez won’t fix their offense but does give Detroit one of the best starting pitcher duos in baseball — especially if Skubal stays. The team chose to offer Valdez a lucrative contract instead of meeting Skubal’s $32 million request, leading to arbitration. We now await the decision that will determine whether Skubal earns $19 million or $32 million next year and whether he remains with Detroit.
Meanwhile, the Astros’ era of dominance appears to be shifting, with the loss of another core player from their 2022 championship roster. After signing Tatsuya Imai and Ryan Weiss and trading Mike Burroughs, their rotation, led by Hunter Brown, seems set. However, their infield faces positional logjams, with multiple third basemen and established starters at short, second, and first base, as well as a designated hitter they want to keep in Yordan Alvarez for as long as possible. This may force the Astros to consider trades before the season starts.
For teams still searching for starting pitching depth, free agency is active. Zac Gallen, who finished third in Cy Young voting in 2023 but had a challenging recent couple of years, is considered among the best available. He has shown resilience and an upward trend, pitching over 180 innings in three of the last four seasons. Several teams—maybe the Orioles, Athletics, Padres, or Braves—could take a chance on Gallen returning to top form to anchor their rotations.
Fan Take: This blockbuster signing signals Detroit’s serious intent to compete at the highest level, reinforcing the value of top-tier starting pitching in today’s game. For baseball fans, it highlights the evolving strategies teams use in balancing pitching excellence with offensive needs and sets the stage for intriguing roster moves and competitive shifts in the coming seasons.
